Greenfield Advisors Co-Managing Director Dr. Clifford Lipscomb and I recently had the opportunity to attend Inman Connect in New York City. For four days, we were connecting, learning, and growing alongside the real estate industry’s top players. Inman Connect was a four-day gathering for real estate practitioners, entrepreneurs, and technology enthusiasts – all focused on improving business practices while leading the competition by utilizing cutting-edge technology.

Technology and Big Data

The main focus of Inman Connect was technology and big data and its role in the real estate industry. A significant portion of my time at Inman was spent in “Start-Up Alley” where entrepreneurs demonstrated new products and services that all leverage big data. This served as an opportunity to network with some of the most innovative tech companies while constantly thinking of potential applicability to Greenfield. Some of the technologies represented could enhance Greenfield’s current research techniques, leading to new ideas and conclusions.

Sessions

Inman Connect’s main events were sessions that were led by keynote speakers representing all parts of the real estate industry. Speakers from Zillow, RE/MAX, Google, and tech companies were among the list of session hosts. The sessions were tailored to real estate professionals and focused heavily on technology integration for agents, brokers, and researchers.

The most applicable sessions for Greenfield revolved around big data and analytics in real estate. Big data has become an integral part of all sectors, and there are countless ways that big data can change the real estate industry to create greater efficiencies and improve productivity.

Here is a link to all of Inman Connect’s speakers:  https://www.inman.com/icny17/?page=speakers

Also while in New York

Dr. Lipscomb and I joined Joshua Salisbury, Greenfield’s Manager of New Business Initiatives, to meet with potential clients to expand our business operations. These meetings were very helpful in promoting Greenfield Advisors and Bartow Street Capital in new areas of work.

Takeaways

Most importantly, my trip to Inman Connect in New York served as reminder that technology is constantly evolving and data is limitless in its application to the real estate industry. It is critical to stay on the cusp of changing trends while keeping focused on your core competencies. Also, networking and personal relationships are still important in this digital age and will continue to be a driver for success.